Method of discharging bombs and for rendering their fuses active



Aug. 14,;1928.

' B; PANTOFLICEK METHOb OR DI SGHARGINGBOMBS AND FOR RENDERING THEIR FUSES ACTIVE 7 Sheets-Sheet v Filed Oct. 18, 1924 Fig.4

Aug. 14, 192& r 1,681,007 B. PANTOFLICEK METHOD OF DISGHARGING BOMBS AND FOR RENDERINQTHEIR FUSES ACTIVE Filed 00*..18, 1924 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 xxxx xx Aug. 14, 1928.

y B. PANTOFLICEK METHOD OF DISCHARGING BOMBS AND FOR RENDERING THEIR FUSES ACTIVE '7 Sheets- Sheet 3 'Filed Oct. 18, 19

Fig.4

BOHJQ un Filed Oct.18, 1924 -7 sheets-sheet 4 METHOD OF DISCHARGING BOMBS AND FOR RENDERING THEIR FUSES ACTIVE Filed Oct. 18, 1924 7 Sheets-Sheet 6.

Fig.7

Bohdnn an'kivc cxlb INVENT E1 Aug. 14," 1928. 1,681,007

B. PANTOFLICEK METHOD OF DISCHARGING BOMBS AND FOR RENDERING THEIR FUSES ACTIVE Filed 0011.18, 1924 v 7 Shets-Sheet 7 Fig.8

scam. Pqm pmu \NVENTOR.

Patented Au 14, 1928.

:Bonnm ram'sormcnx, or rrnsninczncnosnovhxm.

METHOD or n s'cmeme BOMIBS AND roa annnname THEIR rusns abrrvn:

Application filed October 18, 1924, Serial m5. 744,899, and in Czechoslovakia 0c'tober16, 1923.

their fuses as the case may be are kept in the safety condition and are discharged 'or are allowed to fall by means of the electric current.

If the bombs are moved owing to any other cause, for example, if they should fall out of their receptacle or if the flying machine carrying them should be disturbed or if the bombs or their fuses should be struck by enemy fire, the fuses are not rendered active and the bombs therefore cannot explode from whatever heightrand with whatever velocity they fall. On the other hand bombs discharged according to the method forming. the subject of the present invention are ren-.

dered active by electrical means at a short distance from the flying machine from which they are discharged so that in this way bombs may in case of need be discharge with safety from low altitudes. I

The bomb suspending devices are ex tremely simple and free from any mechanism or transmission and the bombs aredischarged by simply pressing a key which results in the immediate and pre-arranged discharging of the bomb.

Finally-the discharging apparatus accord ing. to the present invention can be provided with a registering device.

According to the present invention bombs or projectiles of any 'kind can also be dischargedjn any other way, for example by firing them "or mechanically discharging them, the electric current only serving to render the fuse active, =Further, according to the present invention provision 1s made whereby the source of current only furnishes current to the wiring system on the flying machine attaining a given speed or after having reached a given height. When the apparatus is set to work at a given speed this can be eifected, in the case of a dynamo' being the source of current, by means of a propeller which drives the dynamo, or if a battery s the source of current by means of a regulator driven by a ropeller. set to operate according to eight the switching on of the current can be eflt'ected by means'of a barometer. Finally, the current can be switched on if desired by hand.

In the accompanying drawings the essential features of the invention are illustrated diagrammatically,

F1g. 1 illustrating an arrangement for carrylng thebombs horizontally,

Fig. 2 an arrangement for carrying them vertically, v

Fig 3 illustrates one construction of a fuse according tothe invention,

Fig. 3 -is .a sectional view of the fuse taken on lines 3"'. 3 of Figure 3,

Fig. 4 is another construction of a fuse,

5 a third construction, F g. 6 a fourth construction, and Fig. 7 a fifth construction of a fuse. F1g. 8 illustrates the wiring system for supplying electric current to the several ombs.

In Fig. 1, the bomb 1 hangs horizontally upon the bracket 2, thebomb being held at one-side by the plug 3=of the fuse 4 inthe eye -5 and being secured in this position by the pin 6. The other side of the bomb lies withthe pin 7 on the nose 8 of the bracket.

The current which comes from the source of current 9 is led, when .the switch 10 is thrown in and the key 11 depressed, through the leads 12,13, the contact 14.- being con nected with the plug 3 of the fuse 4:. 3 In some cases the current may simultaneously be led through the lead 18 to the ring 17 by throwing in the switch 16, and by this means the fuse delay can be thrown into or out of action. When the circuit is closed the plug 3 of the fuse 5 is drawn out of the fuse in a manner described below.

By the withdrawalflof the plug 3 fro the fuse 4'the bomb is rendered active and it can slide in the direction of the-arrow 19 along the projections 8- an'd 20 out of the cradle.

' Bombs adjusted in this manner can withother additional alteration also be 05 example. The bomb 1 here lies supported by means 'of the fuse 4 upon a swinging arm.

21. which can turn about the pin 22. The

arm 21 is held in the safety position b the plug 3. On the Withdrawal of the p ug 3 rom the fuse, the fuse is rendered active from these how the withdrawal of the plug 3 from the fuse is effected and how it effects I the freeing of the bomb and renders the fuse active.

' In Fi 3 the plu is thrown out of the fuse 4- y means a powder charge 24 which is ignited by means of the electrical igniter 25. The striker g which bears the ignition cap 26 isheld in the safety position by means of a pin 27 which rests upon a powder cylinder 28. A firing pin n is in; serted in orifices a of a powder securing means 1) and held there. The striker g is provided with a longitudinal orifice '26 which enables the striker 'g to move in the direction of the pin 'By the ignition of the powder charge 24\ a flame is driven through the passages29and 30 to the powder' cylinder 28 the powder in which is ignited. After the powder in 28 has burned and pin 27 is no longer held against movement in the direction toward the head/of the fuse, so -that when the bomb impacts, the

striker '9' with .the ignition cap 26 moves against the ignition pin n and the said cap 26' is perforated. In order that the powder cylinder 26 may burn uniformly, or in order to delay its explosion, an expansion space 31 is inserted between the passages 29 and 30. This expansion space 31 ;may connect with the outside air by means of passages 32.

- "A similar device .is also necessary with those fuses in which the removal of the plug 3 actuates a time fuse. 1

Fig. 4 shows a modified construction of fuse which is here constructed as a time fuse. In this case the ower mass-24 is divided by a yielding partitlon 33 from the fuse proper.

I601 By the ignition of the powder mass 24 the yielding partition is pressed inwards or dis-- placed and its point 34 is caused to ignite the detonator 35 -which in known manner the electrical i actuates the time fuse ,or, percussion fuse.

*A' further example illustrating the. me -chanical removal of'the safety device is illustrated in Fig. 5, and here the double fuse is rovided with a delay which is automat i- 24 is ignited and throws the M 3 out of "the fuse 4. The plug 3 takes wit it a bolt 3 36 which closes the mouth of the plug 3 and in this case the plug is thrown out without The passages 32 serve if're'quired by means of" for leading off the gases which may escape if the opening 37 of the plug 3 is not tightly closed by the bolt 36. By the withdrawal of the bolt 36 the striker 38 is freed and the fuse is rendered active.

The flames from the detonators 39 can pass to the cap 40 either direct in the direction of the arrow 41 or with a delay in the direction of the arrow 42. 'When the bomb strikes soft ground, the screws 43 which hold the slide 44, provided with an insetv ring of lead 45, are not torn away and ignitionor expansion takes place instantaneously. When the bomb strikes a hard substance the screws 43 are torn away and the slide 44 closes by meansof the lead ring 45 the passages which run direct in the direction of the arrow 41 and this is done before the detonators" 39 are pierced, since the distanceto be traversed by the slide 44 to close the direct passages is less than thedistance to be traversed by the striker 38. In this latter case the flames from the dotonators wi'il strike the fuse delay 46 and set it in operation.

. 'In Fig. 6v is illustrated a fuse with a mechanically inserted delay. In this construction of the fuse the bolt 47 is displaced by the action of a spring 48 into the position indicated in dotted lines so that the striker 49 is rendered active by the balls 50 falling 1 out. The head 51 of the bolt 47 then lies in the-active position on the annular surface 52since the plug 3 has been thrown out of thefuse and no longer holds back the bolt 47 When the fuse strikes soft ground the latter forces its. way through the free vopening into the space previously occupied by the plug 3 and forces the head 51 of the bolt 47 upwards. Meantime the striker 49 in. view of the checking of the bomb has moved a shortway forward and causes the,

firingof the detonator 53 almost instantaneously' on the bomb striking.

. Whenth fuse strikes a hard substance, the latter does not force'its way into the space'left by the removal of the plug '3 and consequently it does not raise the head 51 Finally in Fig. 7 -is illustrated an example of an electrically operated fuse delay. In

this case also the fuse isrendered active by the throwing out of the plug 3, the flames from the detonators 54 pasing either dirfictl through the passage' 55 or by way of t e 59 is firedand this lifts the plunger -60 which presses together the lead cylinder56 and so closes the o N is no longer a direct-passage for the flame and the detonator flames can only ope the fuse delay 57.

elay 57. By introducing the electric currentinto the ring 58, the powder charge pening 55 sothat there The fuse used with the present invention can of course be constructed iii-various ways and the constructions illustrated do not exhaust the possibilities nor exclude the use of other constructions. V l

In Fig. 8 are illustratedthe connections for the supply and control of current forbombs with electrically actuated delays.

The bombs, as also the discharging device are in this case arranged in parallel with. the source of current 54. If the aviator wishes to discharge bombs hethrows in the main switch v whereby the whole system is made ready for discharging. By throwing in the switches 56 to 60, either in the direc tion of the arrow 61 or in the direction of V the arrow 62 the bombs are discharged eitherwith or without fuse delay.

If the switches 56130 are connected with one another so that the movement of.

the switch 57 follows the movement of the switch 56 and further the movement of the switch 58 follows the movement of the switches 57 and 56, and so on, then by the movement of a singles'witch all the bombs can be discharged which are arranged in front of this switch, all being discharged at once and with or without fuse delay. The switches can of course be made in various ways either in 'the form of lever switches or key switches and so that one seriesof keys serves for discharging bombs with fuse delay whilst another series of keys discharges bombs without fuse delay. Finally both kinds of keys may be employed in combination and all these switches may be replaced by a single lever or a; single crank.

Thebombs' may be suspended in a great varietyof other ways, they may for example be suspended one behind the other without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Iclaimt- I v 1.111 an apparatus ofthe character .described,- thecombination of means to support a bomb, and electric means for releasscribed, the combination of means to suping the bomb and rendering its fuse active selectively. either with or without delay and causing it to act as an impact fuse or as a delay fuse. i r a -2. In an apparatus of the characte deport a. bomb, and electric means-effecting the support to change its position to release the bomb and further to render .the fuse active selectively either with or without delay and causing it to act as an impact fuse or as a delay fuse, the. change in position of the support by, electricalmeans being .effeeted by movement of; certain constituent parts of the scribed, "the combination of a bomb sunfuse when a powder charge isnsed. ip 3. In an apparatus of thecharacter de causing the support to release the bomb and rendering its fuse active, said bomb being provided with a plug which-is forced out to render the fuse active.

4 In 'anapparatus of the character described, the combination of a bomb SUPP I't 5. An "apparatus fordischarging bombs and for rendering their fuses active as claimed .in claim 4, in which an expansion space is provided between the plug'and the fuse, and a connection is provided between said expansion space and the outside air, so that the gases from the charge which forces out the plug do not enter .the'fuse.

6. An apparatus for dischargin'gvbombs' 0 a v and for rendering their fuses active as claimed in, claim 4, in which there is provided between the plug and the fuse, a deformable partition which by its movement is adapted to render the fuse active.

7. An apparatus for discharging bombs and for rendering their fuses active, as

claimed in claim 4, in which'there'is pro-" vided between the plug and the fuse a 'bolt' adapted to act as a valve and to cut off the fuse from the gas from the charge which expels the plug., v I

p 8. An apparatus for discharging bombs and for rendering their fuses active as claimed in claim 4, in which the expulsion of the plug causes the removal of a safety device.

9'. An apparatus for discharging bombs and for rendering their fuses active as claimed in claim 4, in which a sliding memberis provided in the fuse, said member be ing held by suitable checking means in such manner that on the bomb striking a hard substance the direct passage for the flame for firing the cap isclosed.

10. An apparatus for discharging bombs and electrical means for simultaneously and for rendering their fuses active as I claimed in claim 4, in which provision is made for preventing the escape of the gases which effect the-expulsion of the plug.

11. An apparatus-for discharging bombs and for rendering their fuses active as claimed in claim 4, in which, when the plug holding the bomb is expelled, the bolt holding the striker is freed, so that when the bomb strikes soft ground the soil can enter the fuse and .cause instantaneous explosion and when the bomb strikes hard ground the explosion only takes place after'the striker "has travelled a given distance.

12.'An apparatus for discharging bombs 4. I I I 1,081,007

and for rendering their fuses active as claimed in claim 4 in which the source of I claimed in claim 4:, wherein an element in electric current is furnished by a dynamo the fuse is electrically operated which eledriven by a propeller.' ment causes the guiding of the flame from In testimony whereof'I aflix my signa- 5 the fuse to the exploding charge. ture.

13. An apparatus for discharging bombs v and for rendering their fuses active as ING. BQHDAN PANTOFLICEK. 

